MPs will have final word on presidential age limit— Yoweri Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni. He has ruled Uganda since 1986. PHOTO | FILE |

What you need to know:

  • He declined to give an answer when asked by the Daily Monitor to definitively indicate whether he would run for the top office in 2021.

  • Questioned whether he still maintained the position he gave in a 2012 interview with NTV that someone who clocks 75 years lacked the vigour to rule as president, Mr Museveni made a U-turn and said it was the work of medical doctors to determine that.

President Yoweri Museveni now says Ugandan MPs will have the final say on the presidential age limit.

Mr Museveni spoke on Wednesday night, a day after a joint caucus of his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and independent MPs passed a resolution to move a motion in Parliament on Thursday, paving the way for a Bill to amend Article 102(b) to scrap the age limit.

'VOLUNTEERS'

President Museveni, however, was quick to explain that the law sets guidelines on how the Constitution can be amended and MPs would follow that process.

“About the NRM people who were yesterday [Tuesday] involved in an activity [of passing a resolution to table a motion]. That was not the official NRM caucus. But they are NRM people who have brought their views. In Runyakole (president's vernacular), we call them Nyekundire [volunteers]. Originally, they were provoked by malicious people,” President Museveni said.

He declined to give an answer when asked by the Daily Monitor to definitively indicate whether he would run for the top office in 2021.

Questioned whether he still maintained the position he gave in a 2012 interview with NTV that someone who clocks 75 years lacked the vigour to rule as president, Mr Museveni made a U-turn and said it was the work of medical doctors to determine that.

2012 CLAIM

“I think you should ask the medical doctors. I should not interfere with their work. You should get a medical report about the fitness of someone past 75 years. On whether that person is physically fit to lead or not,” President Museveni said.

In 2012, President Museveni told NTV that he would not support the amending of the Constitution to scrap the age limit, saying active leaders were those below 75 years.

“I know there are some leaders who have been leading even beyond the age of 75 but I think if you want very active leaders; it is good to have ones below the age of 75. That is in the Constitution now. And I will not involve myself in wanting to change that because I think there is some scientific logic behind it,” President Museveni told NTV in 2012.

It was not clear whether the motion seeking leave to introduce the Private Member’s Bill would be handled on Thursday because the Order Paper for the day’s business in Parliament was due to be circulated at 1pm (+3GMT).